1. Field of the Invention doffing and donning characteristics.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Latex gloves are generally manufactured by using molds shaped like hands. The molds are dipped with the fingers pointing downward into a latex polymer. The dipped mold is withdrawn from the polymer after a predetermined time has elapsed, and a portion of the latex polymer forms a coating on the mold. The latex polymer coating on the mold is cured and then removed from the mold on an inside-out basis so that the outer latex surface becomes the inside of the glove.
Removing the cured latex glove from the mold is referred to as "doffing". Doffing is often a difficult procedure because the cured latex glove tends to be tacky and adhere to the mold.
Another problem that must be dealt with after the gloves have been removed from the mold, is that they are often difficult to put on a human hand because of the same tacky quality of the latex. Putting the glove on one's hand is referred to as "donnability" or "donning" the glove. Numerous proposals have also been made for improving the doffing and donning characteristics of latex gloves.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,310,889 to Becker discloses vinyl resin compositions that are used to make gloves. The vinyl resins are made by conjointly polymerizing two or more vinyl derivatives such as vinyl halides, especially vinyl chloride, with vinyl esters of aliphatic acids such as vinyl acetate, propionate and butyrate. An acrylate resin such as methyl methacrylate is used to give increased strength and coherence to the composition.
U.S Pat. No. 3,411,982 to Kavalir et al, which is a division of U.S. Pat. No. 3,286,011 to Kavalir et al, relates to a method of making elastomeric articles by using a dipping form with a slippery surface to facilitate donning and doffing. The slippery surface is prepared from an elastomer latex mixed with a latex or aqueous dispersion of a resin. The mixed latex composition contains rubber solids and resin solids. The rubber comprises copolymers of butadiene with acrylonitrile, methyl methacrylate and the like. The resins include acrylic ester polymer resins such as methyl acrylate and methacrylate, ethyl acrylate or methacrylate, butyl acrylate and the like or copolymers of these acrylates with each other or with other monomers such as styrene, acrylonitrile, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid and mixtures of these resins.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,476 to Podell et al, discloses a dipped rubber article having a skin contacting surface layer formed of a hydrogel polymer, such as polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyhydroxyethyl acrylate or methacrylate, polyhydroxypropyl acrylate or methacrylate, and copolymers of these with each other or with acrylic or methacrylic acid, acrylic or methacrylic esters or vinyl pyridine. The preferred hydrogel polymer is a copolymer of a 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate with methacrylic acid or with 2-ethylhexyl acrylate or a ternary copolymer of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, methacrylic acid and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,482,577 to Goldstein et al, discloses a process of coating a flexible vulcanized surgeon's glove by forming a lamination of a hydrophilic polymer so that the external lamination of the coating of the polymer eliminates the need for lubricating powder on the glove. The copolymer is produced from a mixture of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,919,442 to Esemplare et al, discloses a slip coating that is rubber free, extensible and adheres to the rubber surface of a glove. The coating comprises about 5 to 95% by weight of a first resin such as a vinyl chloride/alkyl acrylate copolymer, a vinylidene chloride/alkyl acrylate copolymer or a vinyl acetate/alkyl acrylate copolymer, and about 10 to 95% by weight of a second resin such as a vinyl chloride-vinyl ester copolymer, or a vinylidene chloride-vinyl ester copolymer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,856,561 to Esemplare et al, discloses chloride/alkyl acrylate copolymer slip coatings for rubber surfaces such as gloves.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,862 to Esemplare et al, relates to slip coatings provided on the surface of rubber articles and defines the slip coating composition and resins in terms of the percent elongation.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,268,647 to Hayes et al, discloses a dipping form and method for manufacturing rubber gloves with strengthened cuff portions. Hayes discloses a glove mold or form that uses generally parallel flutes extending longitudinally from the wrist area to the base of the glove form to strengthen the cuff portion of the glove.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,852,826 to Shindler discloses surgical gloves provided with a colored circumferential band overlying the cuff portion to impart visual identification of the glove size and further strengthen the cuff. The rate of deposition of the latex is accelerated by dipping the form into a conventional coagulant such as a calcium nitrate solution, a hydrated magnesium acetate solution or the like prior to dipping the form into the latex. The thickness of the latex coating varies with the type and concentration of the coagulant and the immersion time.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,941,257 to Davis discloses a secondary coating of synthetic rubber on gloves formed of natural rubber.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,859,410 to Sidley discloses a method of producing gloves with a relatively thin wall thickness in the finger and palm portions and a relatively thick wall thickness in the cuff portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,008 to Joung discloses a powder-free surgeon's glove with a halogen resistant layer such as silicone covalently bonded to an outer surface. The inner surface is halogen treated for smooth, non-tacky donning characteristics.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,348 to Kurtz, which is a divisional patent of U.S. Pat. No. 4,390,492 to Kurtz, discloses a molding device for gloves with at least 300% elongation including a tank containing a polymer and a pair of glove molds.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,365 to Kurtz discloses an apparatus for preventing web formation during the dip molding of gloves by using small objects having a diameter of about one-eighth inch that float on the surface of the polymer and move along the surface of the polymer as the mold is withdrawn.